Container for film rolls



June 11, 1940. M.IM. HURD I 2,204,414 CONTAINER FOR FILM ROLLS Filed Jan. 23, 19:9

A iiorrwys Patented June 11, 1940 UNFP so am as 3 Claims.

I My invention relates to photographicapparatus and particularly to light proof holders for photographic film rolls.

In some classes of photographicwork filr'n'o'iv exceedingly high sensitivity isused; When the nature of the work requires thatfilm" rolls be taken out ofila camera or placed-thereiniwithout access toa dark room or.at"least'a placewh'ere the light: intensity is low; such. high sensitivity '*film:is often. spoiled by" light. which entersbe tweenithe rolled fili'n' an'ditheend flanges of the spool on. which the. filfn is carried;

In. aeriali'photography such as aerial mapping,

several rollsiof film'areordinarily useddu'ring a ll runian'd, preferably; high sensitivity film is employed; Usually. a supplyjof unexposedfilm rolls is kept in a substantially'li'ght proof cannister.

until they are placed in the' magazine of thecamera and' exposed rolls are put in" a similar ZO cannister immediately after removal from the Each time it is necessary to changefilin camera.

rolls, considerable time is expended in manipulating the cannisters' and. applying theprecau.

tions incidental to changing rolls of high sensi- 255 tivity; film. Since flying time is veryexpensive,

the time expended iii-changing filinin the ordispool-of such nature that theccmbination of thefilmcarryin'g spoolancl the covermaybe handledas a unit and be" either inserted inor removedirom camera in the same'manner. as a film. carrying spool alone.

Another I object. of the; invention. is to provide. such a filmepool cover adapted. for containing. a. standard. film spool. and which may I be used. in ,a

camera without necessitating any alteration in the spool carrying elementseoi. tlnelcam'era.v

Anotherobject is to provide such. adevice of: such construction that film rolls may be quickly. and easily placed withinor removed from the film roll cover.

Another object is to provide such a film roll cover constructedin such manner that film may be fed from or wound upon a spool contained 2 inexpensive invention will more fully appear from the fol- 55 lowing description made in connection with the A further object 15 m provide such a device of" accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters-refer to the same parts throughout "the views, and in which- Fig. l is a verticalsectional view of an aerial" camera having embodiments of my invention oontained'therein-in operative relation therewith;

Fig; 2 is a vertical sectional view takenon a planeat right-angles to the plane on whichthe View of Fig. listaken;

Fig. Sis a longitudinal sectional view'ofan embodiment of my invention associated with afilm spool and the spool'carrying elementsof a camera;

Fig.- 4-is a cross sectional View of the film spool cover of the preceding figures; Fig.5 isan end view of one of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig; 6* is an'end view of anotherof tlieparts 1 shown in Fig. 4, and g V r Fig. '7 'is-a-sectionalview of a detail which may beincluded in the deviceif desired;

Referring to the drawing andparticularlyto Figs. of aerial camera C is shown. The camera C includes a film roll containing box 8 whereintwo film. spools are ordinarily contained, one spool heing i'or unexposed. 'filmjand the other spool being forfilmwhich has been exposed. The film I rolisare carried on pivot elements 9, of which one of the pair thereof associated with each spool isretractabl'e forpurposes of removal and installation of film spools. Oneof the pivots-9 fo supporting the filmspool on which exposed film iswound is connected to a crank it by means 'of whioh the film: is shifted in the usual manner to bring newsections of'film into position for exposure! A- film strip F placed in the camera in theusualimanner extends over a roller H, then along the surface of a backing plate i2; 7 and then over asecond roller Ha. The portion oi" the film disposedbetween the rollers H and lid is then in position for exposure. The film containing box 8 15 provided with a door 8a which" is normally closed and which may be opened; to ailiord access to the film roll Within the box iifor purposes of changing film.

conventional construction and description of" a device constituting an embodiment of my invention will follow;

' My film roll shield in its preferred form con sists of an outer shield element Mand an inner shield element i3 which-wlien positioned relative to each other in one relation forms a cylindrical casing within which a-film-spool. such as the spool-l l and-"2, a portion of a conventional form v The above described camera structure is of" S may be relatively closely contained. The outer shield element it includes end portions Ma consisting of centrally apertured discs. The peripheral portion Mb of the outer shield element I 4 is formed of sheet material and extends through an angle somewhat greater than degrees. The peripheral portion Mb is secured to the end discs Ma along a seam formed therebetween.

The inner shield element l3 includes end portions lSa which, as shown in Fig. 6, are of sector shape extending through an anglesomewhat greater than 180 degrees. The end pieces 53a are provided with an aperture I30 therethrough situated at a point constituting the center of a circle following the edge of the end piece l3a. Each of the end pieces 305. is provided with a collar I30! encircling the aperture l3c'in co-axial relation therewith and projecting outwardly of the end piece 13a.

The peripheral portion 13b of the inner shield element l3 may be formed of sheet material and extends through the same angle as the angle containing the sector shaped end pieces 13a. The end edges of the peripheral portion i319 are secured to the peripheral edges of the end pieces I3a in sealed relation therewith.

The inner and outer shield elements I3 and M are assembled in such manner that the collars l3d of the inner element are journaled in the centrally apertured portions of the end pieces Ma of the outer shield element It. It should be apparent then that the respective shield elements I3 and M are rotatable relative to each other. The internal diameters of the collars 53d are such that the spool carrying pivot elements 9 of the camera with which the device is to be used may be journaled in the collars I3d as shown in Fig. 3.

The shield elements 13 and M are shown in the assembled relation in the cross sectional view of Fig. 4, the position of the inner element l3 relative to the outer element l4 when the device is closed being shown in full lines, and the position when the device is partially opened being indicated in dotted lines. At the upper portion of the outer element l4, as shown in Fig. 4, a longitudinally extending corrugation I40 is formed in the element M. A light-sealing strip of material I36 is placed in the concave recess of the corrugation Me to bear against the peripheral portion I3?) of the inner shield element l3. The sealing strip [36 may be formed of any suitable compressible material. At the lowermost edge portion of the outer shield element M, as viewed in Fig. 4, a film guiding roller l5 extending longitudinally of the device and situated closely adjacent the lower free edge of the peripheral portion l sb is provided. The roller I5 is rotatably mounted and may be constructed with an axially projecting element of reduced diameter at each end thereof journaled in suitable apertured ears I 6 provided on the peripheral portion Mb.

The lower edge portion of the inner shield element I317, as viewed in Fig. l, is bent outwardly to form a film guiding flange or lip ll closely adjacent but slightly spaced from the roller l5 so as to form a relatively closely fitting film gate between the roller 15 and the lip l7. When a film carrying spool such as the spool S is placed within my device the non-sensitized free end portion of the film may be positioned so as to extend outwardly of the device through the film gate formed as described above. When the spool S within the device contains exposed film the last trailing portion of the non-sensitized end of the film strip will be in a position extending through the film gate.

If desired, the film guiding lip 11 may be provided with a relatively long bristle pad of material l8 such as plush secured thereto as by means of an adhesive. The end portions of the plush pad is may be further secured to the lip H as by means of a wire loop i9 encircling the lip El and extending through suitable apertures 20 formed in the inner shield element 3 at the junction between the peripheral portion l3b thereof and the lip IT.

For prevention of undesired rotation of my device in a camera the peripheral portion Mb of the outer shield It is provided at one end thereof with an outwardly projecting lug or stop element 2 l. The film box ii of the camera C may be pro vided with stop pins such as the stop pins 22 and 23 positioned to be engaged by the lug 2| when my device has been rotated to the desired position thereof.

In use of my device where several rolls of film will be used in succession in a camera and removal of exposed rolls and installation of unexposed rolls must be efiected without access to a dark room or the equivalent, a number of rolls of unexposed film may be placed in a corresponding number of my devices at an earlier time in a dark room or any place where the light intensity is sufficiently low to prevent damage to high sensitivity film. The devices are, of course, closed immediately after the film rolls are inserted therein. In changing film rolls one of my devices containing an unexposed film and having the non-sensitized free end of the film extending outwardly through the film gate is installed in the camera in the position usually occupied by an unexposed film roll and in the manner in which a film roll without my device is installed. The non-sensitized end of the film is fed past the roller II, the backing plate l2 and the second roller I la. One of my devices containing an empty film spool is placed in the position ordinarily occupied by the film spool which receives the film strip after the exposure thereof. The one of my devices containing the empty spool may be opened while it is in its normal position within the camera so that the free end of the film may be inserted in the slot of the empty spool. The device is then closed and the door l8 of the film box of the camera is closed whereafter the camera may be operated in the customary manner until all of the film roll has been exposed and wound upon the previously empty film spool. In changing film the one of my devices containing the exposed film is removed from the camera without opening the device and a second unexposed roll of film and a second empty spool each contained in a respective one of my devices is then installed in the camera as previously described. It should be apparent that all unexposed film and all exposed film is contained Within respective ones of my devices during times when. a film is being transported, is being installed in the camera, or is being removed from the camera. The ones of my devices containing exposed film may be opened for removal of film after the user has obtained access to a dark room or the equivalent.

My film spool shield not only enables rapid and convenient changing of high sensitivity film rolls in full daylight without damage to the film, but also affords protection against damage to more than a small amount of film if the door while unexposed film or exposed film is in the I magazine.

It is apparent that I have invented a' novel,

simple, and effective film spool shield for containing highly sensitive film and so constructed 7 as to permit installation and removal of film spools in a camera while the film spools are contained within my film shields, and that film rolls protected by my shields may be used in a standard camera without the necessity for modification of the film roll carryingelements of the camera. 7 I

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportionsof the various parts without departing from tion.

What is claimed is: 1. A substantially light-proof container for a conventional photographic film spool having the usual apertures in the ends thereof for receiving the spool-carrying spindles of a camera comthe scope of my invenprising, a pair of partial cylindrical shells associated in overlapping and telescopically rotative relation with each other to form, when in one rotated relative position a cylindrical container for closely containing a film. spool, said shells being rotatable relative to each other to a position affording a gap therebetween through which a film spool may be placed in or removed from said container, end Walls on respective ends of each of said shells, and a pair of bosses formed centrally on the respective end walls of one of said shells and projecting toward the corresponding end walls of the other of said shells, said corresponding Walls havingapertures therein wherein said bosses are journalled and said bossed walls and bosses being centrally apertured to afford access of the spool carrying spindles of a camera to the spindle receiving apertures of a spool contained within said container.

2. A substantially light-proof container for a conventional photographic film spool having the usual apertures in the ends thereof for receiving the spool-carrying spindles of a camera comprising, a pair of partial cylindrical casing elements placed one within the other in overlapping relation to form a cylindrical container for closely containing a film spool, end walls on respective ends of each of said shells, and a pair of bosses centrally formed on the respective end carrying spindles of a camera to the spindle-receiving apertures of a spool within said container.

3. A substantially light proof container for a conventional photographic film spool having the usual apertures in the ends thereof for receiving the spool-carrying spindles of a camera comprising, a pair of partial cylindrical shells each having respective end walls, said shells being associated in overlapping and telescopically rotative relation with each other to form, when in one rotated relative position, a cylindrical container for closely containing a film spool, said shells being rotatable relative to each other to a position affording a gap therebetween through which a film spool may be placed within or removed from said container, and means at each endof said container for rotatably interconnecting the'central portions of corresponding end walls of said respective shells, said means both being centrally apertured to afford access of the spool-carrying spindles: of a camera to the spindle-receiving apertures of a spool contained within said container.

MARK M. HURD, 

